I'm thinking about buying a W33. Westerlys seem to fit my needs and the bilge keel allows access to the sheltered (tidal) areas along the West of Ireland, while I gain confidence sailing with a small family (5 & 2yrs + my wife).

The W33 I'm looking at seems to have no lines running aft to the cockpit though, so I was wondering if this is common, & if not, can she be easily modified? I would need to have a boat that can be sailed short / single handled.

Boats of this period rarely had lines from the mast led aft. However is is quite possible to do this provided there is a clear run along the coach roof. At the base of the mast you will need to fit a series of blocks using a mast base organiser. These can then be split so some pass to port, with the balance to starboard, and turned using a deck organiser. The ropes should pass through a slot you cut into your wooden spray rail either side of the hatch. You will need to pass each rope through a rope clutch. Finally you need to mount a winch either side of the hatch, possibly removing those on the mast for reuse. See this web page for what you will need. http://www.bartonmarine.com/products-or ... utches.asp This will cost a fair amount as you will need to buy all the deck fittings and probably need longer ropes as well. All the new deck fittings may need the balsa core deck to be reinforced, an easy DIY job.

My advice would be to buy the boat and see how you get on with the existing system. Generally there is little halyard work whilst sailing, except raising or lowering sails. For what it will cost to bring everything aft, I would suggest spending the money on a furling genoa system (if not already fitted) as this will make life the easiest for shorthanded sailing. This would mean no headsail changes whilst under way, so no reason to leave the cockpit.

As a fairly new owner of a Centaur with no lines led aft I'd agree with Roger's anaylsis. I have a roller reefing genoa which makes life very easy, but everything else is run from the mast. Not an enormous problem if you have a crew or autopilot; lowering the main is the most difficult bit as the battens tend to catch on the lazyjacks.

Definitely sail it for a bit and see how you get on.

Experience: That which would have been most useful five minutes before you acquired it.